Santiago Estudioso
Santiago Estudioso is a major character in ''How to Survive High School. ''He is the school's genius, and frequently credited not only as one of the smartest people at Mangrove Cove High, but also as one of the nicest and most polite. Although he is a nerd, Santiago is not treated as one because of his cousin, Marco, who is relatively popular. Even though Marco often frustrates Santiago, the latter is smart enough to use Marco's status to raise his own. That, coupled with his willingness to help others out, makes Santiago a well-liked figure who doesn't seem to have any real enemies. He is starting his sophomore year of high school in Book 1. Personality Santiago is one of the most pleasant characters in the series, as he is brilliant, polite, and thoughtful, but he does have his bad moments. Typically composed, Santiago tries to see the best in every situation and is quite the optimist. He is an avid reader who, according to Marco, "has probably read every book in the world." Beside his literary pursuits, Santiago is musically gifted and can play the piano, the cello, and the violin. His interests include literature, history, classical music, art, and advanced calculus. Typically polite and well-disposed, he is not one to hold grudges, but can easily become petty, wrathful, and vengeful when upset. Appearance Santiago is of Hispanic descent, and thus has olive skin, brown hair (which he always keeps neatly combed), brown eyes, and a round nose. He usually wears a burgundy-colored sweater over a button-down shirt with long pants and dress shoes. He also wears glasses. Appearance-wise, he is one of the neatest characters, and easily the best dressed after Matthew Matthews. Relationships Marco Durante Marco and Santiago are cousins, and though they have almost nothing in common the two are actually very close friends, although it would appear that Santiago uses Marco at times so that he won't be treated like so much of a nerd. Although Santiago often finds Marco boorish and frustrating (and Marco in turn finds Santiago uptight), he does care for his cousin and genuinely enjoys being with him. The two tend to stick up for one another, Marco by ensuring that Santiago isn't treated badly by the other kids in school and Santiago by helping Marco out with his studies and grades. Despite his honesty, Santiago doesn't seem to care about helping Marco cheat. Natalie Bestick Santiago, like most other guys, is frequently mentioned to have a crush on Natalie, although he is rarely seen interacting with her. Tammy Snitcher Santiago seems to tolerate Tammy more than the other characters, although this could be simply because of how nice he is. He still finds her annoying, but is too polite to say it to her face. Tammy, on the other hand, doesn't realize that he hates her; this, combined with the fact that he's smart and charming, has caused her to develop a crush on Santiago, much to his annoyance. Trivia *Like most characters, his personality is derived from his name. Santiago means "Saint James," which alludes to his saintly personality. Estudioso is a Spanish word that, when translated, literally means "studious." *He is Hispanic, but his specific country of origin is never explicitly stated. * Santiago has many talents: **He can speak English, Spanish, French, Greek, and Italian. **He can play the piano, the cello, and the violin. ** He ranks as number one in his class. ** He may also have some athletic skills, as he was able to throw a football across the room and hit Tammy precisely in the back of the head. *His favorite writer is Shakespeare and his favorite composer is Vivaldi. * He is paranoid about receiving academic or behavioral infractions (like detentions) and is constantly worrying about college, even though he is only a sophomore. ** He is also afraid of being compared to Marco. *Marco often calls him Santi.